Copepod eaters?

[wowsers]

I have a FOWLR that has recently become inundated with copepods ... my purple tang picks at them now and then ('cause he's a hog), but he barely makes a dent in their population ...

Any recommendations on a small fish that will help take care of these things?

Just wondering. Thanks in advance!

 

[MarkO1]

If your tank is 100 gal. or larger, a Mandarin may be a good addition.
_________________
DYE Precision

 

[Anonymous]

wowsers, the copepods are harmless. If you have a sand bed they are quite beneficial. But as was stated, Mandarinfish eat them almost exclusively. If your tank is not large enough, however, he may run out of food after some time. The actual size of the tank necessary is not entirely clear, though most recommend 75g-125g per fish. I think it depends on a number of factors of your system, that may or may not encourage the copepods to multiply faster. (How much live rock & live sand. How much can the copepods scavenge from what is left behind by the fish, etc.)

 

[~sandman~]

Yea wait a little bit and get a mandarin but make sure they have a few places where the mandarin can't get to, to preserve the population.

 

[danmhippo]

Or any type of pipefish, small wrass, psuedocromis, sleeper goby, or any small gobies in general will hunt down available copepods with gusto. Most of the above with exception of pipefish takes flakes as well, just in case they ran out of copepods to eat.